MarginNote AlternativesPDF Readers & Note-taking Tools like MarginNote

MarginNote is described as 'Integrating powerful tools for book annoation, mindmapping, flashcards and more, to build up your reading notes as never before' and is a PDF Reader in the education & reference category. There are more than 10 alternatives to MarginNote for a variety of platforms, including iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android Tablet apps. The best MarginNote alternative is Xodo. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try LiquidText or Skim. Other great apps like MarginNote are PDF Expert, Noteshelf, Flexcil and Highlights.

More about MarginNote
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
MarginNote alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Xodo icon

    Xodo

     71 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Xodo is the ultimate cross-platform PDF viewer and annotator. Powerful, fast, and optimized for all phones and tablets, Xodo makes it easy to access, edit, share, sync, manage, sign, and more.

    115 Xodo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    Xodo screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    6
    Comments about Xodo as an Alternative to MarginNote
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Xodo: no index cards - no mindmapping

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Only support standard PDF annotations.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    MarginNote Icon
    Xodo icon

    • Most users think Xodo is a great MarginNote alternative.

    • Xodo is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & iPhone alternative to MarginNote.

    • Xodo is the most popular commercial alternative to MarginNote.

    • Xodo is Paid and ProprietaryMarginNote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Xodo is LightweightMarginNote is not according to our users
  2. PDF Expert icon

    PDF Expert

     37 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Read, annotate, and highlight PDFs, fill interactive forms with saved input, underline or strike through text, manage bookmarks, sync files from cloud services, and share documents. Compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat annotations, supporting extensive iOS features.

    128 PDF Expert alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once or Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    PDF Expert screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Comments about PDF Expert as an Alternative to MarginNote
    Guest
    Negative
    0
    1. Less supports for annotation, e.g., color/styles of notes, batch changing style of notes, advanced search in notes.
    2. Does not support epub.
    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    MarginNote Icon
    PDF Expert icon

    • PDF Expert is the most popular Mac alternative to MarginNote.

    • PDF Expert is Paid and ProprietaryMarginNote is Freemium and Proprietary
  4. LiquidText icon

    LiquidText

     12 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    LiquidText offers a fast, natural way to review, gather, and organize information across all your docs: then apply the results to writing reports or simply studying. Pull out key facts and connect them together

    14 LiquidText alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPad
    LiquidText screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    11
    Comments about LiquidText as an Alternative to MarginNote
    Guest
    Negative
    0
    1. Needs subscription to sync between iOS and Mac.
    2. Much worse performance on Mac.
    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Pen functions in LiquidText are much better

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    MarginNote Icon
    LiquidText icon

    • Almost everyone thinks LiquidText is a great MarginNote alternative.

    • LiquidText is the most popular free alternative to MarginNote.

    • LiquidText is Freemium and ProprietaryMarginNote is also Freemium and Proprietary
    • LiquidText is LightweightMarginNote is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    PDF Expert icon
    PDF Expert

    Read, annotate, and highlight PDFs, fill interactive forms with saved input, underline or strike through text, manage bookmarks, sync files from cloud services, and share documents. Compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat annot...

    https://pdfexpert.com
    Learn More
  6. Noteshelf icon

    Noteshelf

     17 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Take beautiful handwritten notes or annotate PDFs on your iPad, and now even on your iPhone. With the new Noteshelf you can do all of the familiar, like type notes, record audio, draw shapes, sketch, sign contracts, fill forms, along with a lot of new, like add bookmarks, create...

    77 Noteshelf alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Chrome OS
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • Windows
    Noteshelf screenshot 1
    Noteshelf screenshot 2
    Noteshelf screenshot 3
     
  7. Skim icon

    Skim

     92 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    PDF viewer for macOS supports scientific papers, annotations, highlights, bookmarks, split view, exporting notes, AppleScript, multiple annotation types, bibliography integration, full-screen, search, and compatibility with various macOS versions.

    85 Skim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    The PDF Window
     

    • Skim is the most popular Open Source alternative to MarginNote.

    • Skim is Free and Open SourceMarginNote is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Skim is LightweightMarginNote is not according to our users
  10. Highlights icon

    Highlights

     4 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Highlights is a PDF reader for note takers. Highlights lets you highlight text and select images in the PDF, but take notes in a regular text-editor. No more typing notes and comments into tiny text boxes.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Highlights screenshot 1
     
  11. iAnnotate icon

    iAnnotate

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    With iAnnotate you can read, annotate, and share PDFs, Microsoft Office files, images and web pages!

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad
    iAnnotate screenshot 1
     
  12. Readit - Save and Read icon

    Readit - Save and Read

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Use Readit to save and manage your articles at a click of a button. Keep growing with your own library from everywhere.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Readit - Save and Read screenshot 1
     
  13. Zhizhi Reader icon

    Zhizhi Reader

     2 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Knowledge management software based on reading notes.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Zhizhi Reader screenshot 1
     
  14. Casedo icon

    Casedo

     1 like
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    A document collection, management, navigation, markup and search app for lawyers and investigators.

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
     

    • Casedo is the most popular SaaS alternative to MarginNote.

    • Casedo is Paid and ProprietaryMarginNote is Freemium and Proprietary
11 of 11 MarginNote alternatives